Juice extractor with automatic pulp discharge

ABSTRACT

A juice extractor comprising a motor driven screen basket rotating about a vertical axis and having at its bottom a grating disc against which the material to be extracted is urged is provided with a pulp stripping mechanism provided with two sets of vertically disposed stripper segments which alternately engage the inner surface of the screen basket to strip the pulp therefrom in such a manner that the lowest stripper segment strips the pulp from the lower position of the screen basket and moves the pulp upwardly along said inner surface so as to be engaged by the next higher stripper segment until finally the highest stripper segment pushes the pulp over the upper edge of the screen basket and into a discharge spout.

[ 1 June 26, 1973 United States Patent [191 Kannegiesser 100/135 X 99/495 241/166 X 100/37 241/168 X Cooney....,......................

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Switzerland Primary ExaminerWayne A. Morse, Jr. 122] F'led: 1971 Att0rneySinger, Stern & Carlberg [21] Appl. No.: 193,248

[57] ABSTRACT A juice extractor comprising a motor driven screen [30] I Foreign Application Priority Data Nov. 10, 1970 Switzerland.............

basket rotatingabout a vertical axis and having at its bottom a grating disc against which the material to be extracted is urged is provided with a pulp stripping mechanism provided with two sets of vertically dis- [52] US. 99/495, /37, 100/135, 7 241/166, 241/168 A23n l/02, A47j 19/02, 1330b 9/26 '51 Int. Cl.

posed stripper segments which alternately engage the [58] Field of Search 99/495; 100/37, inner Surface of the screen basket to m the pulp therefrom in such a manner that the lowest stripper segment strips the pulp from the lower position of the References Cited screen basket and moves the pulp upwardly along said UNITED STATES PATENTS inner surface so as to be engaged by the next higher 333 stripper segment until finally the highest stripper segment pushes the pulp over the upper edge of the screen basket and into a discharge spout.

241/168 X 241/168 99/495 100/37 Ketchum..........................'..... 100/37 5 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures 286,384 1,251,160 12/1917 Woody.... 1,653,281 12/1927 Hess............... 1,850,001 3/1932 DAnnunzio... 2,572,352 10/1951 JUIGE EXTRACTOR WITH AUTOMATIC PULP DISCHARGE The invention relates to a juice extractor with automatic pulp discharge in which a motor driven screen basket is rotated about a vertical axis and is provided above the surface of its bottom with a grating disc which rotates with the screen basket and against which the material to be extracted is pressed. The material to be extracted is introduced into the upper end of the screen basket by a filler tube which extends almost downwardly to the bottom of the screen basket so that the material after being disintegrated by the grating disc is thrown by centrifugal forces against the inner surface of the screen basket. Of course, the juice penetrates the wall of the screen basket, while the pulpis conducted to an outlet above the upper edge of the screen basket. This outlet comprises a discharge spout projecting from the cover of the housing of the juice extractor. Compared with previously available juice extractors without any automatic pulp discharge, the juice extractors lately developed have the advantage that they operate continuously, so that one is not required to interrupt the operation of the juice extractor for the purpose of removing the juiced pulp which has been deposited on the inner surface of the screen basket. This apparent advantage of the lately developed juice extractors has, however, the disadvantage that the screen basket has to rotate with a very high speed in order to force the pulp by centrifugal force over theupper edge of the screen basket. Even when one gives the screen basket a substantial conical shape, this disadvantage is not eliminated. Furthermore, the pulp of various materials to be extractedsuch as fruit, berries,'vegetables and the like-have different slidability so that in certain cases the pulp is only incompletely extracted while in many cases the pulp adheres too long a time on the inner surface of the screen basket and collects there to a relatively thick layer which finally leads to an undesirable unbalance of the screen basket so that the operation of the juice extractor has to be interrupted in order to clean the screen basket. The high speed with which the screen basket has to be rotated causes a disagreeable noise and also leads to a very severe wear of the bearings. Furthermore, it is necessary to employ relatively expensive high-speed electric motors.

The object of the invention is a juice extractor with automatic pulp discharge which does not possess the just mentioned disadvantages. In particular, the juice extractor of the invention extracts juice from any type of material without any difficulties and without any danger that the pulp will clog the screen basket. In addition, the juice extractor of the present invention employs a simple conventional insensitive electric motor having a speed of, for instance, 3000 revolutions per minute. Furthermore, the juice extractor of the invention employs a pulp stripping device provided with vertically spaced and oppositely inclined stripper segments which can be brough in and out of engagement with the inner surface of the screen basket, whereby each segment displaces a ring of pulp on the inner surface of the screen basket upwardly into the operating range of the next higher segment until the uppermost stripper segment discharges the pulp over the edge of the screen basket. Contrary to well-known juice extractors, the pulp is not discharged by centrifugal force from the screen basket but is actively engaged by stripper segments and is moved step-by-step towards the upper edge of the screen basket and finally over the edge of the same so that it is not necessary to employ an electric motor having a very high speed. In fact, the conveyance of the pulp is practically independent of the speed of the motor.

In accordance with another object of the invention, the pulp stripping device is provided with two groups of stripper segments which alternately may be brought into engagement with the inner surface of the screen basket and may, of course, also be removed therefrom.

The invention is also distinguished by a plug which is insertable and removable from the filler tube of the juice extractor. This plug may be arranged and constructed to operate an adjusting device for the pulp stripping device.

The drawing illustrates by way of example a particular embodiment of the juice extractor.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the juice extractor with parts cut away so as to have a view of the interior mechanism.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a screen basket and also shows in an elevation view the pulp stripping device therein.

FIG. 3 is a top elevation view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2, except that the pulp stripping device is illustrated in another position.

FIG. 5 is a top elevation view of FIG. 4.

- FIG. 6 is a sectional view which illustrates the mounting of the screen basket on the upper end of the motor shaft; and the FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10 show each a different position of the means for adjusting the pulp stripper device.

Referring to the drawings, the juice extractor of the invention is provided with a housing 1 in the lower portion of which is arranged an electric motor 2 with a vertical armature shaft 3. The upper end of the armature shaft 3 has attached thereto a screen basket 4 and a grating disc 5. FIG. 6 illustrates clearly that the bottom wall 6 of the screen basket 4 has placed on top of it the grating disc 5 and both the bottom wall 6 and the disc 5 are clamped by a cap nut 8 against a collar 7 on the shaft 3, whereby the cap nut 8 engages'a thread 9 on the uppermost end of shaft 3. The central holes 10 and 11 of the bottom wall 6 of the screen basket 4 and of the grating disc 5 and also the corresponding cross section of the shaft on which they are attached are noncircular in order to avoid an undesired rotary movement of the basket 4 and of the grating disc 5 relative to the shaft 3. The housing 1 has at its upper end a circular cover 12 with a downwardly extending flange edge 13. The cover 12 is provided with an eccentric filler tube 14 for the introduction of the material to be extracted. The filler tube 14 is provided with a larger portion 14a which extends into the interior of the basket 4. In fact, the lowermost end of the portion 14a terminates a short distance above the grating disc 5, while the smaller portion 14b of the filler tube 14 projects upwardly from the cover 12. A plug 15 may be inserted into the tiller tube 14 and removed therefrom, and the upper end of the plug 15 is provided with a bandle 16.

The plug 15 is provided with a longitudinal groove 17 in which a swivel member 18 is rotatably supported about a horizontal axis between its ends in such a manner to form an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of the plug 15. This swivel member 18 is used for adjusting a pulp stripper 19. The pulp stripper 19 has a tubular hub 20 which is secured to the center portion of a vertical shaft, both ends of which are rotatably supported in two vertically spaced bearings 21 and 22 on the outside of the lower portion 14a of the tiller tube 14. The particular construction of the bearings 21, 22 which form a hinge is not of particular importance. The stripper 19 is provided with five arms 20 which are attached to the hub 20 and carry each a stripper segment 23,, 23 23 23, and 23 in such a manner that the stripper segments are spaced in vertical direction and are also offset with respect to each other. Three of these segments are arranged on one side and the other are arranged on the other side of the hub 20. The stripper 19 may be pivotally adjusted to two positions of which one is illustrated in the FIGS. 2 and 3 in which the stripper segments 23,, 23 and 23 engage the inner surface of a cylindrical portion 24 of the screen basket 4. In the other position illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 the stripper segments 23, and 23 engage the cylindrical portion 24 of the screen basket 4. All of these stripper segments 23 to 23 correspond to short sections of helical faces, all having the same inclination, whereby the lower end of the segment 23 is arranged only a short distance above the grating discS, while the lower end of the segment 23, is arranged approximately in the level of the upper end of the segment 23, and the lower end of the segment 23, about in the level of the upper end of the segment 23,, etc. The upper end of the uppermost segment 23,, is arranged in the level of the upper end of the basket 4 where an outer flange 25 is provided. The screen basket 4 has between its nonperforated bottom 6 and its cylindrical screen portion 24 a somewhat conical screen portion 26 which gradually merges into the cylindrical screen portion 24. Below the conical screen portion 26 is arranged a small downwardly curved portion 27 which merges into the bottom wall 6. During the operation of the juice extractor the extracted juice leaving the screen basket 4 runs downwardly on the inner surface of the housing 1 into an angular collecting trough 28 provided in the housing and this trough is provided with a discharge spout 29.

The hub 20 of the pulp stripper 19 has attached thereto a radial pin 30 which extends through a small horizontal slot 31 in the lower part 14a of the filler pipe and cooperates with the swivel member 18 in a manner as is illustrated in the FIGS. 7-10. The swivel member 18 is rotatably supported in its center by a horizontal pin 32 which is attached in the plug and this pin 32 is surrounded by a diagrammatically indicated torsion spring 33 which has the tendency to rotate the swivel member 18 counterclockwise when viewing the FIGS. 7-10, so that normally the upper end of the swivel member 18 engages a side wall 34 and its lower end engages the other side wall 35 of the groove 17. When the pin 30 is disposed in the right-hand lower end of the groove 17, namely to the right side of the swivel member 18 as shown in the FIGS. 7 and 3, then after introducing the material to be extracted-for instance apple slices-into the filler tube 14, this material is pressed by the plug 15 which is slided inwardly against the grating disc 5 and thereby the pin 30 slides along the lower part of the swivel member 18. The result is that the pin 30 is urged toward the left into the position shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 5 and the stripper 19 is rotatably adjusted in such a manner that the segments 23, and 23, are moved into the stripping position. When the plug 15 is further pressed downwardly, then the pin 30 engages the upper part of the swivel member 18 so that the latter is pivoted against the force of the torsion spring 33 into the position shown in FIG 8 in the position 18 as shown in dash-and-dotted lines and finally the pin slides off the upper end of the swivel member 18 so that the swivel member 18 by the spring 33 is again returned to its normal position. Now the pin 30 is located on the left-hand side of the swivel member 18 as shown in FIG. 9. Since now after the grating procedure the plug 15 is moved upwardly from the tiller pipe 14, the pin 30 slides first along the upper part of the swivel member 18 towards the right, according to FIGS. 10 and 3, and then the pin moves the swivel member 18 again into the position 18'. However, the lower end of the swivel member 18 is moved to the left-hand side. The stripper l9 has now been returned to the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, whereby the same operation is repeated during the next insertion and removal of the plug 1.

The juice extractor of the invention operates as follows:

The material to be extracted is urged by the plug 15 against the grating disc 5 and is shredded by the latter and then by centrifugal force is thrown onto the conical screen portion 26 whose rise angle a is so selected that the material during'the normal speed of the motor 2, for instance about 2900 revolutions per minute, is moved upwardly on the same and during the transfer to the cylindrical screen portion 24 is deposited thereon in the form of a ring 36. This ring portion is designated with 36,. When this occurs, the pulp stripper 19 is adjusted by the. pin 30 from the position of FIG. 3 into the position shown in FIG. 5. When now the plug 15 is moved upwardly and the stripper 19 is again returned to the position shown in FIG. 3, then the stripper segment 23, engages the pulp ring 36 so that the same, in view of the rotation of the screen basket 4, is advancd upwardly a distance equal to one height of a segment and thereby comes into the position 36, according to FIG 2. During the next plug operation the segment 23, becomes effective and moves the ring 36 into the position 36, as shown in FIG. 4, This operation is repeated so that next the segment 23, moves the ring 36 into the position 36, and the segment 23, moves the ring 36 into the position 36,. The segment 23, finally pushes the ring 36 over the upper edge of the screen basket 4 from where the pulp through an opening 37 (FIG. 1) in the flange of the housing 1 is discharged into a discharge spout 38.

In view of the fact that the pulp ring 36 is raised by the pulp stripper 19 step by step into the different positions 36 -36 and within each step is subjected to the action of centrifugal force, a very effective juicing operation is obtained. Furthermore, a very high speed of the screen basket is not necessary for the purpose of throwing the pulp over the edge of the screen basket as this is necessary in the juice extractors with automatic pulp discharge of the prior art. Accordingly, the juice extractor of the invention is much quieter in operation and the bearings of the motor have a much longer life. A very important advantage is also that the automatic pulp discharge is effected positively by the pulp stripper 19 and does not depend upon the particular type of material.

What 1 claim is:

1. Juice extractor with automatic pulp discharge, comprising a housing, a cover for said housing, a motor driven screen basket rotatable about a vertical axis in said housing, a grating disc fixedly attached to the inner face of the bottom of said screen basket, means for introducing the material to be extracted into a tiller pipe extending through said cover of said housing and downwardly into said screen basket, a plug extending through said filler pipe for urging the material to be extracted toward said grating disc, said material being grated and thrown against the inner surface of said screen basket, whereby the juice passes through the wall of said screen basket and the pulp is being moved against said inner surface'of the screen basket to be dicharged at the upper edge of said screen basket and into pulp discharge means provided at the upper end of said housing, and pulp stripping means provided with stripper segments offset vertically with respect to each other and adapted to be brought selectively into and out of engagement with the inner surface of said screen basket for conveying the pulp thereon upwardly from one stripper segment to the next higher one.

2. Juice extractor according to claim 1, in which said pulp stripping means comprises two groups of stripper segments, and means for alternately moving said groups in and out of engagement with said inner surface of said screen basket.

3. Juice extractor according to claim 1, including means forming a vertical hinge axis arranged eccentrically in said screen basket and extending parallel to said filler pipe, means for attaching said pulp stripping means to said vertical hinge axis means, said stripping means comprising two angularly displaced groups of stripper segments, means on said plug adapted to engage said pulp stripping meansfor alternately adjusting said pulp stripping means to two different positions, in each one of which a different group of stripper segments is in engagement with said inner surface of said screen basket.

4. Juice extractor according to claim 1, including means forming a vertical hinge axis arranged eccentrically in said screen basket and extending parallel to said filler pipe, means for attaching said pulp stripping means to said vertical hinge axis means, said stripping means comprising two angularly displaced groupsof stripper segments, means on said plug adapted to engage said pulp stripping means for alternately adjusting said pulp stripping meansto two different positions, in each one of which a different group of stripper segments is in engagement with said inner surface of said screen basket, said means for alternately adjusting said pulp stripping means comprising a pin (30) on said stripping means extending into a longitudinal groove (17) of said plug, a swivel member (18) pivotally supported between its ends and angularly disposed in said groove, a spring (33) for urging said swivel member to an inclined position in which its ends engage opposite side walls of said groove, said pin, upon insertion of said plug, being engaged by one edge of said swivel member, adjusting the latter against the action of said spring so that said pin moves above the upper end of the swivelmember and onto the other side thereof,-and upon withdrawal of the plug moves plumoves along the swivel member and adjusts the same into the opposite direction, so as to cause the pin to adjust said pulp stripping means.

5. Juice extractor according to claim 1, in which said screen basket is provided with a cylindrical screen portion (24) whose lower edge merges into a conical screen portion (26) whichlatter changes into a horizontal non-perforated bottom wall (5), the inclination (a) of said conical screen portion with reference to the plane of said bottom wall being so selected that the material thrown by the grating disc is deposited in the form of a ring on the lower portion of the cylindrical screen portion and from there is moved upwardly by the lowest stripper segments of said pulp stripping means.

. *1: t is :r' 

1. Juice extractor with automatic pulp discharge, comprising a housing, a cover for said housing, a motor driven screen basket rotatable about a vertical axis in said housing, a grating disc fixedly attached to the inner face of the bottom of said screen basket, means for introducing the material to be extracted into a filler pipe extending through said cover of said housing and downwardly into said screen basket, a plug extending through said filler pipe for urging the material to be extracted toward said grating disc, said material being grated and thrown against the inner surface of said screen basket, whereby the juice passes through the wall of said screen basket and the pulp is being moved against said inner surface of the screen basket to be dicharged at the upper edge of said screen basket and into pulp discharge means provided at the upper end of said housing, and pulp stripping means provided with stripper segments offset vertically with respect to each other and adapted to be brought selectively into and out of engagement with the inner surface of said screen basket for conveying the pulp thereon upwardly from one stripper segment to the next higher one.
 2. Juice extractor according to claim 1, in which said pulp stripping means comprises two groups of stripper segments, and means for alternately moving said groups in and out of engagement with said inner surface of said screen basket.
 3. Juice extractor according to claim 1, including means forming a vertical hinge axis arranged eccentrically in said screen basket and extending parallel to said filler pipe, means for attaching said pulp stripping means to said vertical hinge axis means, said stripping means comprising two angularly displaced groups of stripper segments, means on said plug adapted to engage said pulp stripping means for alternately adjusting said pulp stripping means to two different positions, in each one of which a different group of stripper segments is in engagement with said inner surface of said screen basket.
 4. Juice extractor according to claim 1, including means forming a vertical hinge axis arranged eccentrically in said screen basket and extending parallel to said filler pipe, means for attaching said pulp stripping means to said vertical hinge axis means, said stripping means comprising two angularly displaced groups of stripper segments, means on said plug adapted to engage said pulp stripping means for alternately adjusting said pulp stripping means to two different positions, in each one of which a different group of stripper segments is in engagement with said inner surface of said screen basket, said means for alternately adjusting said pulp stripping means comprising a pin (30) on said stripping means extending into a longitudinal groove (17) of said plug, a swivel member (18) pivotally supported between its ends and angularly disposed in said groove, a spring (33) for urging said swivel member to an inclined position in which its ends engage opposite side walls of said groove, said pin, upon insertion of said plug, being engaged by one edge of said swivel member, adjusting the latter against the action of said spring so that said pin moves above the upper end of the swivel member and onto the other side thereof, and upon withdrawal of the plug moves plumoves along the swivel member and adjusts the same into the opposite direction, so as to cause the pin to adjust said pulp stripping means.
 5. Juice extractor according to claim 1, in which said screen basket is provided with a cylindrical screen portion (24) whose lower edge merges into a conical screen portion (26) which latter changes into a horizontal non-perforated bottom wall (5), the inclination ( Alpha ) of said conical screen portion with reference to the plane of said bottom wall being so selected that the material thrown by the grating disc is deposited in the form of a ring on the lower portion of the cylindrical screen portion and from there is moved upwardly by the lowest stripper segments of said pulp stripping means. 